Graphic novels | The latest volume of Tokyo Ghoul topped the February BookScan chart of the bestselling graphic novels in the bookstore channel, and four volumes of that series made the top 20. The third volume of The Walking Dead Compendium took the second slot. Overall, the list is an interesting mix: It's half manga, a couple of Marvel and DC Comcis titles, Dark Horse's Plants vs. Zombies (an all-ages graphic novel based on a video game), and Philippa Rice's Soppy: A Love Story, a print version of her webcomic about her life with her boyfriend. [ICv2]
Legal | Former Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Maurice Sinet has sued philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy for calling him an anti-Semite. Levy wrote in an article in Le Point magazine that Sinet, who goes by the pen name Sine, was "a former employee of Charlie Hebdo who was kicked out for his anti-Semitism and racism." Sine wrote an article in 2008 claiming that Jean Sarkozy, the son of the former French president, had dodged the consequences of a car accident by saying he was planning to convert to Judaism and marry a Jewish woman. The story was intended to be satirical, but it caused a controversy and he was ultimately fired from the magazine. [Times of Israel]
Manga | Michael Gombos, Dark Horse's director of international publishing and licensing, and manga editor Carl Horn talk about the state of the publisher's manga line, what sales are like in comic shops vs. bookstores, and the books that are doing surprisingly well: Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service and Berserk. Their top-seller, though, is Unofficial Hatsune Mix, an anthology of stories about the cartoon singing idol Hatsune Miku. In the second part of the interview, they discuss piracy, the increasing number of North American films that are based on anime and manga properties, and their plans for the immediate future, which include more manga. [ICv2]
Manga | The Japanese manga creator team CLAMP will publish a new Cardcaptor Sakura short story in an upcoming issue of the shoujo manga magazine Nakayoshi. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the series, which was a bestseller in Japan and one of the first shoujo manga series to become popular with North American readers. [Anime News Network]
Creators | French writer Matz discusses his adaptation of James Ellroy's novel The Black Dahlia, which will be published in English by Archaia. [Hero Complex]
Creators | K.L. Ricks talks about her comic Country Darkness. [The Comics Journal]
Cartoons | Michael Dooley takes a look at Duke, a 1950s-era Playboy knockoff aimed at a black audience. The magazine combined centerfolds and risque cartoons with short stories by Langston Hughes and Ray Bradbury, but the eclectic mix only lasted for six issues. [Print]
Commentary | Susanna Polo writes about her mixed feelings about Frank Miller. [Polygon]
Festivals | Members of three French organizations representing comics creators and publishers will meet with the French Minister of Culture and Communication to discuss the Angouleme Inernational Comics Festival. Last week, the publishers in the Syndicat national de l'édition (SNE) and the Syndicat des éditeurs alternatifs (SEA) signed on to a statement threatening to boycott the festival unless fundamental changes were made in the way it is organized and run. Now they, along with members of the comics section of the Syndicat national des auteurs et compositeurs (Snac BD), have been invited to meet with Minister Audrey Azoulay on March 10. [Livres Hebdo]